MESA, Ariz. — Firefighting is a dangerous job and it only takes half a second for things to go horribly wrong.
Earlier this week in Mesa, 10 firefighters became trapped inside a home after the roof collapsed during a fire. All of the firefighters were OK, but officials said the moments leading up to their safe exit were highly unpredictable.
The call started as a barbeque fire that spread to the attic. Crews were fighting excessive heat and low visibility while trying to save the house, a woman and her dog.
The department invited 12News to the Mesa Fire Training Facility to show the scenarios crew members can face.
Before responding to any call, the first step is for first responders to put on their turn outs: About 75-100 pounds worth of gear just to get things going as we headed to the "confidence course." This prop, we're told, is a combination of hot temperatures and low visibility, much like the call earlier this week.
"It's to build muscle memory, so that when we're in a high-stress situation, we can work to solve the problem and work through it as we go," Captain Casey Russel explained. "This prop is like a building collapse, so if it's something where things have come down on top of us, we can orient our body and get out,"
The stress and problems were immediate and as a civilian doing real training in a mock scenario, 12News reporter Rachel Cole said she couldn't quite manage the elements or emotions.
No doubt, these first responders are true heroes, and their applied skill set and expert training minimized harm on that call.
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